The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Dianthus that is grown for use as a flowering plant for pots and containers and as a hardy perennial for the garden and landscape. The new cultivar is known botanically as Dianthus ×hybrida and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘NOREEN’.
‘NOREEN’ is a complex hybrid plant that is the product of a long term breeding program conducted in a greenhouse environment in Houndspool, Dawlish, Devon, United Kingdom. The primary focus of the breeding program is to produce new cultivars of Dianthus that exhibit unique growth habit and colors. The inventor selected ‘NOREEN’ in 2002 for the color combination of its flowers. ‘NOREEN’ exhibits a compact habit, grey-green fine foliage, and an abundance of flowers that are colored raspberry pink with a magenta center.
‘NOREEN’ resulted from the open pollination between Dianthus code name ‘Whet26’ as female parent, and an unknown male parent. Both parents have been raised by the inventor but have not been released or patented.
‘NOREEN’ is distinguishable from the female parent Whet26 as follows: whereas the female parent possesses no anthers and exhibits broad foliage, ‘NOREEN’ bears anthers and exhibits fine-textured foliage.
The varieties of Dianthus which is considered by the inventor to most closely resemble ‘NOREEN’ are the inventor's varieties Dianthus ‘India Star’ (unpatented) and Dianthus ‘Alva’ (co-pending application Ser. No. 12/220,635). In comparison with ‘NOREEN’, ‘India Star’ has larger flowers and a tight, compact habit. ‘Alva’ is approximately 20 per cent larger (height and width) than ‘NOREEN’, and the flowers of ‘Alva’ are more saturated in color.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by the inventor in 2002 in Houndspool, Devon, United Kingdom. The method of asexual propagation used was vegetative cuttings. Since that time the characteristics of the new cultivar have been determined stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.